Buddy Rescue – Utilizing Technology and Community to Rescue Pets from Fires

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (March 4, 2015) – Hundreds of thousands of pets perish in the more than 1.2 MILLION fires that occur every year in the United States. But today, Birmingham-based VineLight, LLC is announcing Buddy Rescue by VineLight, the first App and Smart Technology Platform completely focused on saving pets from fires. The patented, new App and Smart Technology Platform will help rescue pets from fires in all building types, including homes, multi-family units, high-rise structures, pet shelters, humane societies, and more.

“We’re so excited about the release of Buddy Rescue,” Paul Graeve, founder of VineLight, says. “There is already so much media attention focused on pet adoption, lost pets, and other pet issues, but we’re the first company totally focused on saving pets from fires.”

The Buddy Rescue App uses the proximity awareness of smart devices to alert people in the immediate vicinity of a pet in danger. Thus, anyone – including neighbors, friends, and concerned citizens – who are located close to the emergency will be notified with the address and the specific details about the pets who need their help. These registered, Buddy Rescue participants can then open a door or break a window to save the animals inside… long before the fire department even arrives.

“Most pets die of smoke asphyxiation before help can get to them,” explains Graeve, “but with Buddy Rescue, this tragedy never needs to happen again.”

VineLight is leveraging its existing networks and technologies in Fire Departments and 911 centers to help make Buddy Rescue possible. These Fire Intelligence solutions, implemented since 2012, have helped VineLight learn how Buddy Rescue can save pets using smart technologies. “My chocolate lab Brewski is the real inventor of Buddy Rescue” says Paul Graeve. “I was working on our Fire Intelligence platform when Brewski laid his tennis ball on my keyboard, which is always his very subtle hint that he wants me to quit working. I was thinking about our real time fire intelligence alerts, and when Brewski put his ball on my keyboard, the idea for Buddy Rescue was born.”

The Buddy Rescue Platform will also be able to integrate with a host of different smart technologies to access, monitor, and interact with products that can automatically save pets in an emergency, with no human intervention involved.

“There are a lot of smart technologies coming into the market, but we’re the first to focus on automating pet rescue,” Graeve states. “And we’re excited that Buddy Rescue will enable other Smart Technology Companies to integrate with our platform to create automated Smart Systems that can rescue our Buddies, long before they are in serious danger.”

VineLight just started a KickStarter campaign to help raise money from pet lovers and supporters for the upcoming launch of Buddy Rescue.

“Developing a bullet-proof app and platform that never fails when lives are on the line is not an easy or an inexpensive endeavor,” mentions Graeve. “We know that people will emphatically support our efforts to rescue pets from fires, and we’re excited about using KickStarter to fund the project and to pre-sell Buddy Rescue subscriptions. We can’t wait to start making rescues very soon!”